IFFHS World’s Best Referee 2015: Rizzoli (ITA)

For three years, Nicola Rizzoli, who is today 44 years old, dominate the rankings of the World’s Best Referee. Second in 2013, behind the double winner of the award, Howard Webb (2010 and 2013), the Italian referee won in 2014 and again in 2015. Selected editorial offices and experts from 50 countries around the world took part in the 2015 annual election of the top referee, the 29th time it has been carried out by the IFFHS.

Rizzoli began his senior career in 2002, became an international at 2007 and made a great Jump in the Top World Referees in 2013 to be the number 1. Last year, he had 53 points more than the second, but this year, his margin was very small with two strong concurrents, the English referee Martin Atkinson and the Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir. Rizzoli (80 points) had only 8 points more than Atkinson and nine more than Cakir! With the German Felix Briych , at the 4th place, they have dominated the year 2015 with clear-sighted performances. Bjorn Kuipers confirms his place in the Top 5, Marc Clattenburg made his entry in the ranking for the first time. South America had also a new great referee with Wilmar Roldan from Colombia and Australia’s Ben Williams entered the Top 10.

IFFHS World’s Best Referees 2015 

1. Nicola Rizzoli (ITA, photo) 80 p
2. Martin Atkinson (ENG) 72 p
3. Cuneyt Cakir (TUR) 71 p
4. Felix Brych (GER) 59 p
5. Bjorn Kuipers (NED) 35 p
6. Mark Clattenburg (ENG) 24 p
7. Wilmar Roldan (COL) 21 p
8. Jonas Eriksson (SWE) 14 p
9. Carlos Velasco Carballo (ESP) 11 p
10. Benjamin Williams (AUS) 6 p

Collina: "Knowing the Laws of the Game is no longer sufficient”

UEFA Chief Refereeing Officer Pierluigi Collina and AFC referee Ravshan Irmatov from Uzbekistan said that in order to become a top referee on an international level, knowing the rules of the game is no longer sufficient.

Speaking on first day of the 10th annual Dubai Sports Council conference, Italian referee legend Collina (photo) said that a modern referee has to know every single player on the field, along with his capabilities and his most possible movements and actions, especially during standard situations. "There was a time where a very good referee had to know the soccer rules by heart. This is over. Today, only the referee who can estimate as good as possible what might happen during the match has the potential to reach world-class", said 55-year-old Collina, who was been named IFFHS's "Best Referee of the Year" for six consecutive years during his time as a FIFA Referee from 1995 to 2005. Collina was famous for never touring the city he travelled to during his career, but he remained in his hotel room the whole day before the match in order to study the host and guest team and every single player through databases and video analyses.

Irmatov agreed, saying that an in-depth match preparation is no longer a distinction. "Anticipating the characteristics of a football match is very important for success as the way how it is played today is much faster and more dynamic than before." Irmatov, 38, was named "Best Referee in Asia" for five times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2014). A FIFA official since 2003, the Uzbek elite referee was selected to officiate the final match of both the 2008 and 2011 FIFA Club World Cup.

Collina said the questions a referee has to ask himself ahead of the game are "Do you know all payers? Who are the biggest players, their tactics, their characteristics and their records in previous encounters?" Collina completed the referee workshop of the conference by showing a video analysis of a standard free kick situation when Bayern Munich played against FC Barcelona which gave an example how players position themselves in advance near their counterparts to stop them through unfair movements.

Source: Xinhua

Video referees in England?

The introduction of video referees in the Premier League has moved a step closer, after the FA sent out a questionnaire that could see English football being used to trial the wider use of technology at matches. Red cards, penalty kicks, goals, violent conduct, offsides and incidents off the ball – all could be up for video scrutiny, if the clubs are supportive. The feedback will be used by the FA to formulate a strategy in time for the Annual General Meeting of the International Football Association Board in March. It could be that the FA will volunteer the English leagues to be guinea pigs for experiments and studies using the new rules. Depending on the results of the questionnaire, the capability for video reviews could be in place as early as next season.
The FA letter was sent to the Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers Association and League Managers Association, and was forwarded to Premier League clubs on December 18. The clubs have been asked to return the questionnaires, either in writing or verbally, by January 6, with the Premier League intending to form a working group to report to their shareholders meeting on February 4. In the FA's covering letter, which gives FA Head of Refereeing Neale Barry as a point of contact and is headed 'The use of technology in football', the FA make it plain that they are for the exploration of video assistance for referees, but want to progress only with the collaboration of the clubs and key stakeholders, such as players and managers. It reads: 'The results of the questionnaire will help shape any proposals made to the IFAB for English football to conduct an experiment to further assess and explore the effectiveness of potential technology solutions.' The FA warn that, even if the clubs are in favour, the IFAB has previously been resistant to the introduction of technology. Barry is a member of the IFAB's Technical Advisory Panel — which also includes former referees Pierluigi Collina and David Elleray. The last proposals regarding video assistance were made by the Dutch FA last year and were met with rebuttal. In the past, Major League Soccer and the Brazilian federation have also volunteered to hold trials. If only a fragment of the process covered in the FA questionnaire is acted upon it would represent the most radical shake-up of football since the modern rules were formulated. As well as asking the clubs what decisions would be open to review, the FA have also requested feedback on the length of time needed to review decisions, whether or not a break in play is necessary for decision reviews and whether an area of the stadium should be set aside for the match official to consult video. The prospect of managerial challenges to calls made by the referee — a version of the decision review system in cricket — the chain of authority between match referee and video referee and the unsolicited intervention of the remote referee are also covered.

The questionnaire sent to Premier League clubs
1. With regard to key match decisions that could be reviewed, which of the following do you believe should be reviewed using technology?
a) Yellow cards
b) Red cards
c) Red card offences seen, but not detected by the referee
d) Penalty area incidents that may result in a penalty kick
e) Offences that take place close to the penalty area
f) Goals scored with possible offside or foul play in the build-up to a goal
g) Unseen incidents, such as violent conduct
h) Second yellow cards
i) Tackles that may have resulted in a second yellow card, but where the referee took no further action
j) Offside offences that immediately result in a goal
k) Mistaken identity

2. Are there any other key match decisions you think should be included?

3. When should the review take place?
a) Only when play has been stopped by the referee and he wishes to review an incident?
b) Only when play has been stopped by the referee and the 'remote referee' (match officials with access to multiple angles on instant replay) advises the referee to review an incident?
c) Only when play has been stopped and the team manager wishes to 'challenge' a decision?
d) By the referee stopping play when he is uncertain of a decision to review it?
e) The 'remote referee' intervening if he believes the referee has made a mistake and asking him to stop play?
f) By the team manager requesting to stop play to challenge a decision?

4. What length of time is appropriate to stop the game to review a decision or for the remote referee to review a decision before advising the referee to stop the game?
a) 15 seconds
b) 30 seconds
c) 45 seconds
d) Less than 2 minutes
e) As long as it takes

5. If a referee has to review a decision it is likely that until technology has advanced he will have to use a pitch-side monitor. This will impact on the length of stoppage. Where should this review take place?
a) In the technical area?
b) In a pitchside location which is public?
c) In a pitchside location which is private?

6. Who should make the final decision after reviewing a replay of the incident?
a) Match referee
b) Another referee in remote location communicating directly with the referee

c) Other

7. Football decisions can be very subjective. In the event that the video review is inconclusive how the final decision should be made?
a) The referee's initial decision stands
b) The referee decides having reviewed the footage
c) The remote referee's decision stands

8. Do you believe that video technology should be used to aid match officials' decision-making in the following games?
a) Premier League
b) Championship
c) League One and Two
d) FA Cup

Source: Daily Mail

UEFA Futsal Euro 2016

Serbia, 2-13 February 2016 

Referees
1. Gerald Bauernfeind (AUT, 1981)
2. Marc Birkett (ENG, 1978)
3. Ondrej Cerny (CZE, 1979)
4. Kamil Cetin (TUR, 1984, photo)
5. Eduardo Fernandes (POR, 1979)
6. Fernando Gutierrez (ESP, 1971)
7. Oleg Ivanov (UKR, 1972)
8. Gabor Kovacs (HUN, 1978)
9. Pascal Lemal (BEL, 1972)
10. Alessandro Malfer (ITA, 1975)
11. Timo Onatsu (FIN, 1973)
12. Cedric Pelissier (FRA, 1976)
13. Ivan Shabanov (RUS, 1978)
14. Bogdan Sorescu (ROU, 1974)
15. Sasa Tomic (CRO, 1975)
16. Admir Zahovic (SVN, 1982)

Reserve Referees
1. Tomasz Frak (POL, 1981)
2. Lukas Pesko (SVK, 1983)

Referee Observers/Instructors
1. Pedro Galan Nieto (ESP)
2. Perry Gautier (BEL)
3. Massimo Cumbo (ITA)
4. Ivan Novak (CRO)
5. Ramon Alonso (ESP)

FIFA Club World Cup Final 2015: Faghani (IRN)

20 December 2015

Final
River Plate – FC Barcelona
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)
Fourth Official: Alioum Alioum (CMR)
Reserve AR: Evarist Menkouande (CMR)

Match for Third Place
Sanfrecce Hiroshima – Guangzhou Evergrande
Referee: Matt Conger (NZL)
Assistant Referee 1: Tevita Makasini (TGA)
Assistant Referee 2: Simon Lount (NZL)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman (COL)

Busacca: Male and female referees have to work together

When Massimo Busacca was appointed as the Head of the FIFA Refereeing Department in 2011, he had a clear idea for the preparation of elite referees: the deeper the knowledge of the game, the better the results. And as Busacca now looks ahead to the cycle leading to the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 and the FIFA Women’s World Cup France 2019, his idea is to take these methods one step further – and to do so in a unified, joint effort for men’s and women’s football.

“Men and women have to work together, because we are convinced that this should be our philosophy. The game is the same, the decisions they take are the same, and thus the preparation for the referees and assistant referees should be, too,” said Busacca. “That is why in all our seminars – starting with two important elite ones in February 2016 – we will present exactly the same information and we’ll organise activities to discuss and analyse situations together; men and women referees”. The core of Busacca’s philosophy lies in the idea that, much like footballers, referees must prepare themselves for every match from all standpoints - even tactically. “Football is very fast nowadays, but even if you run like Forrest Gump, if you don’t understand the game, you won’t be at the right place at the right time,” he explained. “Before a game, a coach instructs a player about how the other team lines up, what are the characteristics of the opponents, etc. It should be the same for referees: they should know if a team plays 4-3-3 or 4-3-2-1; if they play on the counter-attack… Before the ball is coming, you should be able to know where it will be, and that has to be repeated and simulated to exhaustion. Referees are not machines and mistakes can occur, but this is how you create uniformity and consistency to minimise them." As much focus as Busacca puts into knowledge and theory, though, there is no way to ignore the increasing physical demands of refereeing elite football. Although that too comes side-by-side with understanding the game, which was the rationale behind his department’s adaptation of FIFA’s fitness tests for referees. “It’s not a big change: essentially, we work on reducing the distances and shortening the limits. We need more agility and explosion. In the modern game, the effort is no longer about 200m sprints, but several 10m, 20m or 40m ones. This is crucial. There are so many counter attacks at such speed that when a ball is lost you must be really quick in sprinting towards the other box." With the game increasingly faster and the scrutiny intensified – particularly in the case of women’s football – Massimo Busacca’s goal is simply to have all fronts covered. “After the Women’s World Cup in Canada, in our last debrief, I told the referees: in this top level, you need to prepare professionally and know what you are doing. It is the only way you can sustain your decisions. If not, people will not trust them”.

Source: FIFA

Thomas: “I slept the sleep of the just”

“Innovator” and “footballer” are two words rarely associated with the name of Clive Thomas, writes Alex Griffiths. Yet this iconic referee, destined ever to be remembered for ruling out a Zico World Cup goal, remains in touch with the game he cherishes and brings the added perspective of both having played and having fought at the sharp end for law changes we now take for granted.

Of course he is also still the very same age, give or take three months, as Sepp Blatter, who was merely another eager apparatchik encountered by Thomas during Germany ’74. And at the age of 79, just maybe the Welshman has become more circumspect in choosing his battles. Whether or not that is so, however, it did not take long to find a battle he was ready, willing and able to choose. It’s only fair to quote Graham Poll exactly, from ‘Geoff Hurst, the Hand of God and The Biggest Rows in World Football’ – his 2009 follow-up to Seeing Red: “Perhaps Thomas’ decision to end play as Zico was about to score was a horrendous error of judgement. Or perhaps it was to make a point. Perhaps he was exasperated…Perhaps he was punishing them. It is even possible he blew when he did as a theatrical demonstration of his own importance.” With scant acknowledgement of how many years ahead of his time Thomas was in battles fought with the powers that be, Poll went further and accused him of not admitting to mistakes when he did indeed admit to many, in his own autobiography, ‘By The Book’. On the subject of Poll then, Thomas is as forthright as ever: “I’ve got no time at all for him. He made huge blunders [at World Cups], but that was not the worst thing for me. No, Poll went right down in my estimation for what he said concerning a match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Highbury. “There was one particular occasion, I believe it is a very well-known game [February 1st, 2005] thanks to YouTube, and he admitted he was just not able to control the problems in the tunnel. Not only that, and he might realise this himself in retirement, but he went on to say that Wayne Rooney had sworn at him something like 20 times in the first half. Well, that tells me Rooney had no respect for him. It sounds simple I know, but players need and want to know what they can and cannot do, and cheating might well now be worse among players than it has ever been. There was an English referee who came to live in Swansea, a nice enough chap and we met up one night after he moved to Wales. He asked me why I managed to get so many top games when I didn’t get on with the players! I asked him what exactly he meant by that and he said that it surprised him, that’s all, that I wasn’t more of a player’s referee. He said that he never went straight home after a game but instead would go out drinking with the players and as a result he felt they were more likely to do as he told them to, the next time they found themselves on the same pitch. I tried to warn him not to trust the players… for we are the opposite to them, and that, because we are there to ensure the laws are applied, you can’t ever be true friends with players, but he carried on and he was struck off the list shortly afterwards.” Seen by Graham Kelly as a thorn in the Football Association’s side, Thomas pointed the finger at the FA’s alleged failures when it came to the modernisation of its laws, in its maintenance of fan discipline, in its resistance to FIFA, as well as something else that at least it could not be accused of since 1992: a lack of resistance to the good, old Football League. Now those were the days!

At the very real risk of poking impertinently at an old wound, I’d been prompted in advance to ask Thomas about Argentina ’78, and whether the word ‘regret’ ever came into the equation. While it may have defined his career for many, did that necessarily mean he would ever ‘go there’? Having watched the incident on live TV as a goggle-eyed boy of 11, I was happy to gamble on the memory banks if necessary… and just in case yours need topping up, take a look here. Keeping my powder dry, it turns out, could well have nudged Thomas to offload what had been on his mind a long, long time. Others might call it an exclusive, but as the first-hand account of Mar Del Plata and the 1-1 draw between Sweden and Brazil emerged from my landline, I took care to write down every last syllable. “I was later lambasted by colleagues and that never concerned me. I was told by [referee chief] Jose Maria Codesal I was wrong back in the dressing room, but you know, even as Brazilians shouted ‘Gol’ in front of me, the decision had actually been accepted by the players. There was no argument, in fact both linesmen told me, ‘well done’. After I had dressed, two English journalists, Powell of The Mail and Jones of The Mirror, told me outside that there was talk of sending me straight home, which never did happen. On the plane I was also made aware that the president of FIFA being a Brazilian might become a factor but I still said I would take them on, purely on what Law 7 [covering Allowance for Time Lost] states, and I would have. Having flown back to Buenos Aires, at the reception in the Carlton Hotel, in my broken Spanish, I asked for my key and no phone calls as I headed up to my room.” What followed constituted new information certainly not in the book of 30 years ago, which cast the besieged official’s claim of ‘sleeping the sleep of the just’ in a vastly different light: “In the middle of the night, the phone did ring and the desk was saying this man says he must speak to you. I agreed to take the call and it was the late Cliff Morgan, of the BBC. ‘We are taking you out,’ he said. ‘I want you out of that bed in 15 minutes and you are coming out with us.’ “That’s how Cliff and the commentator David Coleman came to take me out clubbing, and true friends that they were, neither of them so much as once asked anything about the game. It made me realise who my friends were, to be honest with you, and they proved to be close friends indeed. “Now I look back and yes, I would have preferred it to have gone differently, but as I told [FIFA’s] Friedrich Seipelt, who woke me by phone the next day: waiting until any longer after the corner to terminate the game would not have been honest. My old mate, Jack Taylor was right in what he told the BBC… that it was not the diplomatic thing to do. Even so, the BBC proved I was right when it came to adding up the time. And, even today, two men approached me out walking and spoke of their respect at my decision. Not a week goes by without it being raised.”

So however unrepentant this Norwich City signing-turned ground staffer turned-globally infamous man in the middle remains, it cannot ever be said Thomas put his career before his hopeless devotion to the game itself. “People are fantastic to me you know, they always want to talk and whether or not they agree with a decision or not, once I have explained my viewpoint to them, never once have I had any abuse in return from a member of the public. I’m not by any means suggesting people have always agreed with a decision, but they have always been satisfied that what I have given has been an honest decision. That’s why I said I slept the sleep of the just after my last game in Argentina and that’s why I will always be able to sleep. What I got from my career was the respect from supporters, managers and others who matter for my motives and my love for the game. Now, no matter how many matches you watch on the television you will never see the referee blow his whistle for full-time while the ball is in the area. So, do I understand why people disagree with me? Yes, but I also know the very same people also say, ‘we respect you, because you’re honest’. And you can’t beat that, can you?”

Source: YATR

English referees promised chauffeur-driven cars during Christmas

The move is designed to help officials stay mentally and physically fresh in hectic festive period when they often have to make multiple long journeys.

Top English referees have been granted a Christmas wish - by getting driven to Premier League games over the festive season. Match officials normally drive themselves to a meeting place and pick up a lift for the rest of the way to matches. But they have campaigned to get chauffeur-driven cars all the way for the busy Boxing Day and festive games - and have finally got their way. It is designed to allow them to relax and also be fresh after a busy Christmas if they have to make long journeys. The move has gone down well with referees, with many having several games over the busy programme.

Source: Mirror

FIFA Club World Cup 2015 – Semi-finals

16 December 2015
Sanfrecce Hiroshima – River Plate
Referee: Jonas Eriksson (SWE, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Mathias Klasenius (SWE)
Assistant Referee 2: Daniel Wärnmark (SWE)
Fourth Official: Matt Conger (NZL)
Reserve AR: Tevita Makasini (TGA)

17 December 2015
FC Barcelona – Guangzhou Evergrande
Referee: Joel Aguilar (SLV)
Assistant Referee 1: Juan Zumba (SLV)
Assistant Referee 2: Marvin Torrentera (MEX)
Fourth Official: Wilmar Roldan (COL)
Reserve AR: Alexander Guzman (COL)

FIFA Club World Cup 2015 – Match for Fifth Place

16 December 2015

Club America – TP Mazembe
Referee: Alireza Faghani (IRN, photo)
Assistant Referee 1: Reza Sokhandan (IRN)
Assistant Referee 2: Mohammadreza Mansouri (IRN)
Fourth Official: Ryuji Sato (JPN)
Reserve AR: Akane Yagi (JPN)